Television – Special applications – Manufacturing
Reexamination Certificate
1998-07-30
2001-04-03
Le, Vu (Department: 2713)
Television
Special applications
Manufacturing
C348S086000, C348S125000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06211905
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
I. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a system for monitoring: a process. More particularly, this invention relates to such a system in which process data relating to a predetermined characteristic of the process is collected and stored in digital format and extracted based upon a pre-determined criterion for display.
II. Description of the Prior Art
Processes are known for the continuous production or handling of a product. Illustrative of such processes are those for the production or handling of continuous products, as for example polymeric films, paper webs, metallic webs, roll printing processes and the like. Other such processes include those for production or handling of discrete products such as sheet printing processes, packaging processes and the like.
A desired objective of these processes is that the product have certain pre-determined characteristics, as for example characteristics which insure that the product is of acceptable quality. A failure to detect and correct deviations from these pre-determined characteristics is an extreme disadvantage adversely affecting the economics of the process as for example because of lost production time, discarding of unacceptable product, and the like.
As a result, systems for inspecting and observing the product by continuous processes have been developed. See for example the systems described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,951,223; 4,814,869; 5,239,376; and the like. These systems usually involve the monitoring through use of one or more video cameras strategically placed along the production line, storage of video output on video tapes, means for shutting down production of the product in the event of deviations from pre-determined characteristics and playback of video tapes to determine the cause of the deviations so that corrections can be made in a timely fashion. These known monitoring systems suffer from one or more disadvantages which adversely affect their performance. For example, these prior processes are manual and require re-winding of the tape which results in down time of the system and long processing times. Moreover, tapes often degrade and it is difficult to access those portions of the tape containing relevant information or to make good copies. In these systems the tapes are not networked or tied together and the system cannot simultaneously recorded and played back. The system of this invention obviates one or more of these disadvantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention provides a monitoring system for continuously monitoring the operations of a machine for the continuous manufacture of a product. More particularly, the system of this invention comprises:
a plurality of monitoring means for continuously monitoring a pre-determined characteristic of the process and collecting monitored data, each monitoring means addressing a different location of interest of said process, and capable of monitoring and collecting real time data relative to said location;
data converting means for converting said output data into digitized data;
digital data storage means capable of storing segments of said digitized data, each of said segments comprised of a plurality of digitized data clips, said segments and said clips of predetermined lengths which cover the operations of said process at a relevant location over a predetermined period of time, said digitized data segments being stored such that as new digitized data is stored in said segment, the earliest prior stored digitized data in said segment is displaced from said segment to maintain said segment at said pre-determined length; and
control means for controlling said monitoring system, said control means in communication with said digital data storage means and capable of extracting one or more digitized data clips according to predetermined criterion to form one or more extracted clips, and capable of displaying said extracted clips.
As used herein, “compression” means applying data reduction means such as an appropriate algorithim, technique, technology or the like to digitalized data for a real time event at a location in a process to reduce the ammout of digitized data required to recreate the event. As used herein, “process” means an action, change or function or a series of actions, changes or functions that bring about a result or end, as for example a system of operations in the production of something. As used herein, “clip” means a digitalized data series for a location of a process during a pre-determined period of time. As used herein, “digitized” or “digitization” means to convert to or to collect in a digital format as for example conversion of an analog signal of a visual image to a digital format or collection of a visual image directly into a digital format. As used herein, “digital” means information in a binary format, or zeros and ones, usual for storage in a digital data storage means such as a computer. As used herein, “segment” means a portion of the digital data storage means containing one or more digitized data clips.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, said process is a continuous process for the manufacture of a product, and said deviation event is a deviation in a pre-determined characteristic of said product.
In a more preferred embodiment of the invention, the system comprises a plurality of storage means, each of which comprises at least one digitized data segment, at least one of said storage means capable of storing digitized data monitored and collected from first monitoring means at a first location of the process and at least one of said storage means capable of storing data monitored and collected from a second monitoring means at a second location of the process. Preferably, the control means is capable of extracting clips from segments stored in two or more of said plurality of said storage means such that said extracted clips are time synchronized to chronologically show the pre-determined characteristic of a single discrete product or a portion of a continuous product as said product passes by each location of the digitized data in said extracted clips. Alternatively, the control means is capable of extracting the event clip recording said event and the clip immediately preceding said event clip from the segment containing data from a single location of the process, and optionally the data clip immediately following the event clip, splicing said clips in chronological order to form a display clip and displaying said display clip.
In another preferred embodiment, the process comprises a plurality of steps and wherein there is at least one monitoring means, data converting means and data storage means for said step.
In still another preferred embodiment, the process is controlled by a distributive control system in communication with said control means, said control system having one or more deviation detectors for monitoring said pre-determined characteristic, each of said detectors addressing a different location of interest along the process and capable of detecting deviation events and communicating a signal of said deviation event, and the time and location of said event to said control means;
wherein on receipt of said deviation event signal said control means capable of identifying data storage means containing the digitized data segment corresponding to said deviation event, extracting the deviation event clip and displaying said display clip, and wherein said distributive control system is preferably capable of communicating process data relating to the operation of the process and the time of break to said control means.
In yet another preferred embodiment, the control means is capable of extracting the event clip recording said event and the clips immediately preceding and optionally the clip immediately following said event clip, splicing said clips into a display clip chronological order and displaying said display clip.
A most preferred embodiment of this invention relates to a monitoring system for monitoring the manufacture of a continuous web of paper
Fiore Leonard F.
Grapes Kenneth D.
Rudt Robert J.
Le Vu
Stewart, II Richard C.
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